Sadness is reduced by virtual hugging

Abstract This study investigated the possible effect of virtual interpersonal hugging on alleviating individual sad emotion. Using emotional self‐assessment and skin conductance responses, we recorded subjective and objective indicators before and after sad emotion induction, and after virtual interpersonal hugging, and assessed the role of (1) the characteristics of hugging, (2) participants' familiarity with the virtual hugging target, and (3) participants' face resemblance and perspective toward the virtual me‐avatar initiating the hugging. Results showed that (1) hugging a virtual target, but not the mere action of hugging, improves the regulation of sad emotion, (2) visual information dominates haptic information in the virtual hugging process, (3) facial familiarity of virtual targets of hugging and facial resemblance of the me‐avatar to participants do not affect the emotion regulation effect, and (4) first‐person perspective of the virtual me‐avatar influences both perceived ownership of hugging action and emotion regulation. Overall, virtual interpersonal hugging contributes to the regulation of sad emotion.